910 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVIII. No. 991 



the work of the department. The men of 

 professorial rank criticized the plan se- 

 verely and the young man was made to feel 

 that he was presumptuous in proportion 

 as his plan was chimerical. After a rather 

 long interval a third meeting was called. 

 The head of the department announced 

 that a plan had been devised, and proceeded 

 to outline the identical plan which had 

 been proposed by the assistant. It re- 

 mained in effect for several years. Ab- 

 solutely no hint of credit or recognition 

 was ever given to the young man. Again, 

 an instructor arose in general faculty 

 meeting in an arts college in a state 

 university and discussed a pending ques- 

 tion at some length and with much cog- 

 gency. His friends were filled with ap- 

 prehension and one of them finally suc- 

 ceeded in signalling to the speaker to de- 

 sist. He was afterwards informed by the 

 dean that men below the rank of assistant 

 professor were not expected to debate 

 questions in the faculty. Instances might 

 be multiplied to show that great difficulties 

 stand in the way of the ideas of young men 

 finding expression or receiving considera- 

 tion in our universities. It is a well-known 

 fact that in many departments the young 

 men never know what plans are afoot until 

 their duties are assigned them. And yet 

 the young men are the only ones who can 

 offer any new ideas to their institutions. 

 Let it not be thought that the writer has 

 any personal interest in this aspect of the 

 question. He has passed the time when he 

 can expect to produce any new ideas. 

 Whatever new ideas he might have con- 

 tributed 'to the universities with which he 

 has been connected are lost forever, — unless 

 indeed, ear is still given to what he might 

 have said years ago. Of course, that is 

 precisely what our mode of organization 

 means. The university forbids a young 

 man to speak until he becomes a professor. 



Then if he has not forgotten the ideas 

 which came to him in the days of his 

 youth and enthusiasm, or if the time for 

 their application has not long gone by, the 

 institution is willing to listen to him. That 

 ensures conservatism, — but not progress. 

 It means that the university never adjusts 

 its ideals to the times but is forever deny- 

 ing itself the information which its indi- 

 vidual members could supply. 



If the university is slow and inefficient 

 in securing information as to what should 

 be its aims and policies, what about the 

 sources of information for the executive 

 as to how those policies are being carried 

 out? The president depends for his infor- 

 mation first upon the deans of colleges and 

 schools, and second, upon the heads of de- 

 partments. He depends upon these men 

 also for executive functions under his di- 

 rection. The president must depend upon 

 these men for information, since he can 

 not by any possibility know all the details 

 by his own observation. Neither can he go 

 personally to all individuals for informa- 

 tion. In general the president is equally 

 under the necessity of following the advice 

 of his heads of departments, since other- 

 wise he would lose their confidence and his 

 only source of information. The president 

 instead of being the autocratic monster 

 that he is depicted, is in an almost pitiable 

 situation. Unless he be a man of alto- 

 gether extraordinary energy and strength 

 of purpose, he is wholly at the mercy of 

 his heads of departments. So far as the 

 heads of departments are honest, wise and 

 possessed of ideals for the common good 

 the president is fortunate, and nothing that 

 I may say in this talk can be construed as 

 a criticism of such men. But heads of de- 

 partments are endowed with human na- 

 ture, and it is well known that they exhibit 

 it in the conduct of their departments. 



In one case a department of chemistry 



